A Lesson Finally Learned
by Kyraillion
Summary: Sesshomaru finally learns to open up and trust people after losing all he had. SessKag Sorry if there are spelling errors in the names and stuff.
1. Chapter 1

Kyraillion: Well, the chapter has been updated and replaced.

**Inu-Yasha: Yeah, so re-read it, cause it's totally different!**

**Miroku: I get to have more fun in this chapter...**

**Sango: Get your hand off my butt, hentai!**

**Kyraillion: Uh, now, now! Don't fight! Stop that, Miroku! Uh, so here's the chapter, fully replaced, updated, and hopefully MUCH better. And don't worry, it'll all lead to the same conclusion.**

**A Lesson Finally Learned**

**Chapter One:**

Kagome listened to the bubbling of a nearby stream. Something was going to happen today. She knew it. She stretched out in the grass, letting the wind tickle her face as she stared up at the treetops, which framed a beautiful clear sky. That was what she loved about this time period. Sure, it had plenty of problems, but there were no noisy machines. The air here was clean and pure. She loved this place, amongst her friends.

She heard small, light steps behind her.

"Whatcha doin? Shippou cheerily inquired.

Sitting up to acknowledge the little fox youkai, she replied. "I'm just taking a moment to enjoy the scenery. Would you like to join me?"

Shippou nodded his head and smiled. "Inu-Yasha, Sango, and Miroku are finishing up making camp for the night. I decided I'd go find you."

"Well, thank you Shippou," she chuckled.

The two of them had a nice conversation about the woods and the stream. They laughed about two squirrels chasing each other around a tree, apparently fighting over nuts. Shippou even showed Kagome his new trick, which he had finally mastered.

Shippou stepped out into a shallow, rocky place in the stream. He waited patiently until the right moment, and then, wham! He pounced, grabbing the salmon with both hands while jumping up and down for joy.

Kagome giggled. Shippou was so cute and innocent. She couldn't help but laugh.

"What are you two laughin' about?"

"Shippou caught a fish!" Kagome explained, all the while still giggling.

"Great! That means supper! Boy am I starved!" Inu-Yasha exclaimed. "Go catch some more, Shippou!"

"Okay," Shippou yelled as he jumped back into the stream, eager to be of service.

"Now wait just a minute!" Kagome looked sternly to Inu-Yasha. "You should help Shippou! It's not fair for him to have to do all of the work!"

Inu-Yasha glared at Kagome. "Fine, I'll help then."

Inu-Yasha tuned to step into the water, but then stopped. Shippou looked up at him triumphantly with a wriggling fish in each hand.

"Eh, Kagome, I don't think there's any need. At the rate he's going. He'll have plenty of fish in no time."

Shippou was already handing Kagome the fresh fish.

"Well then," Kagome smirked, "You can just go gather wood for the fire."

Inu-Yasha started to open his mouth.

"Don't you say it! Just go get the wood!" Kagome warned.

"Hai!" Inu-Yasha scurried off into the woods after firewood.

In next to no time, everyone was setting in front of the fire, full of decadent fish, thanks to Shippou,... oh, and Inu-Yasha too.

Miroku slapped Shippou on the back. "Thanks a lot for the fish, Shippou. You're really quite the fisherman!"

Shippou smiled, pleased with the complement. "Thanks."

Sango helped Kagome to clean up the camp before they all went to sleep for the night. While Sango bent over to stoke the fire with more wood, she felt a hand slap her butt. She almost jumped in her surprise.

"I should have seen that coming," she mumbled to herself. Then, she turned to the monk, "Cant I go one night without you bothering me, hentai?" She glowered at him.

"Eh,...eh,...gomen?" The monk backed down at the site of Sango's raised fist.

Inu-Yasha subconsciously put a hand on the hilt of his sword.

"What's wrong, Inu-Yasha," Kagome asked. "What's with the sudden interest in Sango?"

"Shh," he warned. "Someone's coming." Yes. He was sure of it. He could hear hurried footsteps coming from the direction of the nearest village.

A moment later, the heard a voice shout, "Who's there?"

Kagome looked over to Inu-Yasha.

The man stepped from the bushes and into the firelight.

He bent over, bracing his hands on his knees, gasping for breath.

"What is it?"

"Demons, attacking – the village," he gasped. "I was – running this way for help. Saw – your fire."

"What kind of demons," Miroku implored.

"Terrible. The village – is in flames.

How far are we from this village?

"Three miles," the man whiped sweat from his face. "If you – can you help?"

Inu-Yasha smirked, confidence written all over his face. "Just show me the way!"


	2. Fire and Scents

**Kyraillion: Heya guys! We're back for chapter two!**

**Sesshomaru: Chapter two usually follows chapter one.**

**Kyraillion: Hey! Ya know what? Shut up! No one asked you! And besides, you're not even in the story yet! Anywho, announcement: IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE EDDITED VERSION OF CHAPTER ONE, PLEASE DO, OR ELSE CHAPTER TWO WILL MAKE NO SENSE TO YOU!**

**Kagome: You know, you don't have to shout at them.**

**Kyraillion: I know... but it's fun!**

**Chapter Two:**

Everyone was more than glad to help out. They had all seen what havoc demons could reek on small villages, especially Sango.

It didn't take long for them to get to the village. Inu-Yasha could smell it from far away. The fire and smoke tortured his senses and would hardly allow him to think of anything else. He followed the villager's instructions, and soon the village was in plain sight.

Everything was consumed by fire.

There was not a single building that had been spared. Some were completely burned out. Others were still on fire.

"Search for survivors!" Miroku yelled. Kagome only prayed that there were still survivors to be found.

"I can smell the demon," Inu-Yasha growled. "It's over to the south, not far away."

"I'll go with you then," Sango spoke up. "The rest of us can help the surviving villagers.

"Alright," Kagome agreed to the plan. She saw a group of people huddled under some trees. As she started to approach them they backed away, screaming at her.

"It's alright! It's alright!" Kagome tried to calm them down. "We've only come to help! We're not demons! We're not going to hurt you!"

"Oh, good," one older woman sighed. "We saw the hanyou and we were worried."

"Oh, that's just Inu-Yasha," Shippou explained. "He's really strong, but he's after the demon, not you!"

Chattering continued among the surviving villagers as Kagome and Miroku tried to sort out what had happened.

"They flew at us from the sky," a woman named Miyuki explained as she shifted her baby on her hip. "They were demons of great size, two of them, I'm not sure what they were called. I have never seen the likes of them before."

The woman's husband continued. "Following them was a woman on a giant feather. She had dark hair and a white obi."

"Kagura," Kagome whispered.

"That means Naraku is behind this." Miroku concluded.

"Yes," Miyuki agreed. "There was also a man in a white fur cloak with a mask. He started to do something suspicious while his demons reeked havoc. I'm not sure what he was doing, but he was stopped as another demon attacked him."

"This one was an Inu," the man added.

"Yes, with long silver hair and royal markings. He attacked Naraku with a vengeance, all the while yelling something about a girl named Rin."

"Sesshomaru," Kagome whispered.

"I hope Inu-Yasha doesn't find out he's here."

"Sesshomaru, as you call him, attacked Naraku. A barrier appeared around Naraku and protected him. The woman in the white obi then attacked Sesshomaru. He managed to divert her attention somehow and turned back to Naraku. They were in the middle of a heated battle when, all of the sudden, they vanished."

"They vanished?" Miroku eyes widened.

"Yes, they disappeared. Just like that." The man, named Komatsu clarified.

"Hmm..." Kagome's eyebrows knitted together. "This doesn't sound good.

Inu-Yasha and Sango ran into the burning streets.

"This way, I can smell them!" Inu-Yasha directed to Sango.

The two demons were rooting though flaming logs without seeming to be bothered by the heat. They were large, looking almost like brown rhinoceroses, only with wings and a double horn.

"I'll take the one on the left," Sango offered.

"Fine with me!"

Inu-Yasha drew his sword as Sango raised her boomerang.

With all of her might, Sango unloaded on the beast. Her boomerang projectile hit it square in its huge chest and knocked it to the ground, dead.

Inu-Yasha quickly dismissed the other with a wind scar. They weren't particularly tough demons, but to a village full of unarmed, unprepared people, they could be terrifying.

Inu-Yasha sniffed around. He had caught a whiff of something. This place smelled of Naraku. His scent was everywhere. But there was something else, harder to place because it was much fainter. "Sesshomaru," he growled. "What was he doin' here?"

Sango took a moment to wipe sweat from her forehead, "Your brother?"

"Yeah," Inu-Yasha finalized with some distaste. "Him."


	3. Chapter 3

Inu-Yasha swiveled his head, trying to catch more of his half brother's scent. He discerned that he had been here not long ago, but the scent trail ended in the Village Square, and did not pick up again. There was no Sesshomaru or Naraku in sight.

Kagome ran over to Sango and Inu-Yasha after spotting them in the Square.

"You guys okay?"

"Fine. That was no sweat."

"So what was the demon?"

"There were two," Sango spoke up. "I have never seen the likes of them."

"All the same, they were weak. We finished 'em up quick."

"Good," Kagome sighed with relief. Cutting to the chase, she added. "Sesshomaru has been here."

"Yeah, I know. I can smell him. It stinks."

"The villagers said that he attacked Naraku, and wouldn't stop shouting about Rin."

"Do you think Naraku took her?" Sango asked the both of them.

"It seems like it."

"Any idea where they went, Kagome?"

She shook her head. "The villagers said that they both just disappeared."

"I wonder where Kagura went..."

"No idea. I suppose she followed Naraku. She's always lagging behind that scum."

Miroku came over to where they were standing with Shippou at his heels.

"What's the plan, Inu-Yasha?"

"Let's follow 'em!"

"But we don't know where they went!" Shippou whined.

"Well, we can always try Naraku's castle. Besides, we're not too far from there. Wait, Kagome!"

"Uh huh!"

"Do you sense any jewel shards?"

She stretched out her senses for a moment, but came across nothing. "I've got nothing."

"Then let's head for the castle."

"Sounds like a plan."


End file.
